Pokémon Platinum: The Prodigal Rocket Y Version
by JeremyX
Summary: After Cacnea's departure, Team Rocket has now ordered a manhunt for James, and he vows to one day take Team Rocket down forever. Ash, upon seeing James' connection with his Pokemon, believes him and lets him travel with him & his friends. Once two Trainers from Hoenn appear, the result is an adventure that will shake the Pokemon world forever! Non-crossover of old story, Plz R&R!
1. Brothers of Hoenn! Francis and Aaron!

**A/N: After much deliberation, I decided to do yet ANOTHER redo of my story, this time as a purely Pokemon story. The crossover is not ending, however, and will be updated at the same time as the true story. Please be patient for both (as I now have a 17 hour college work load to keep up with) and I will do what I can when I can!**

**By the way, here's all the dates and ages again, just in case.**

**Current Date (in story): Wednesday, January 19, 2007**

**Ash Ketchum: May 22, 1992 (age 14, going on 15)**

**Brock Harrison: June 16, 1987 (age 19, going on 20)**

**Dawn Didier: June 20, 1993 (age 13, going on 14)**

**James Morgan: March 17, 1983 (age 23, going on 24)**

**Jessie Matthews: April 8, 1986 (age 20, going on 21)**

**OCs:**

**Francis Xavyer: March 25, 1987 (age 19, going on 20)**

**Aaron Rune: July 21, 1990 (age 16, going on 17)**

**Temari Uzaku: February 28, 1990 (age 16, going on 17)**

**Pokémon (C) 1995-2015 Pokémon, Nintendo, GAME FREAK, Creatures**

**I, the author, make no money from this story! I make no money from my OCs either! Please support the official release and PLEASE ENJOY THE STORY!**

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**Pokémon Platinum: The Prodigal Rocket**

Chapter 1: The Brothers of Hoenn! Enter Francis and Aaron !

**(-o-) Ash (-o-)**

A lot had happened this past month, and I knew that it would change us all in some way. First off, following the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, Paul put himself higher up on the jerk scale when he gave up on his Chimchar and abandoned him in front of us. Of course, I took him in, and, after some initial drama, he's been able to adjust to our happy lifestyle over Paul's abusive training style. Secondly, at the advice of Zoey, Dawn and I traded our Aipom and Buizel so that Aipom could perform in Contests like she wanted to and that Buizel could battle in Gym Battles like he wanted to. It looked like we were both following what our Pokémon needed instead of what we wanted, which was important for any good Pokémon Trainer.

As we were walking down the road, within mere meters of Solaceon Town, I couldn't help but think that something was missing.

"Hey, guys," I said, stopping suddenly, "doesn't something feel… off to you today?"

"Hmm…" Dawn said, putting a finger to her chin in thought. "I don't feel any different. What made you think that all of a sudden?"

"I think I feel something," Brock nodded, thinking aloud. "What do you think is wrong, Ash?"

"It's like something's supposed to happen right now," I said. "It's almost like a formula or old nerves acting up or something like that."

"Pikapi, Pika Pika Pipikachu Pi! (Ash, we haven't ran into Team Rocket in a month!)" Pikachu said.

"You're right!" I said, snapping my fingers. "We haven't seen head or tail of Team Rocket or any of their Pokémon in a whole month!"

"I noticed that as well," Brock nodded.

"Maybe they finally took a hint and got lost," Dawn shrugged. "Or maybe they all got arrested, serves them right!" Piplup chirped in approval.

"Hey, hold on!" I said, stopping her rant. "Let's not jump to rash conclusions!"

"But if they did, that's a good thing, right?" Dawn asked, puzzled. "They are the bad guys, aren't they?"

"Well," I said, unsure, "after seeing James give up Cacnea, I saw him look… conflicted."

"But why should we care about someone who's clearly trying to steal other people's Pokémon?" Dawn asked, still confused. "Bad guys are all the same, am I right? Once a crook, always a crook!"

"I'm not too sure about that," Brock said, folding his arms. "They may be bad guys, but they're pretty incompetent bad guys. Plus they've helped us out more than once and vice versa."

Just then, Dawn pointed out in front of us. "Hey, look! It's Solaceon Town!"

I turned from my thoughts for a moment and saw the town laid out ahead.

"Awesome!" I cheered. "Let's get to the Pokémon Center and have a great big lunch!" With that, I dashed off, with the others behind me.

"Hey, hold up Ash!" Dawn called out. "Wait for us!"

(-o-)

By the time we got to the Pokémon Center, Brock (after yet another his usual failed attempts to swoon Nurse Joy) was already whipping up a nice batch of Pokémon food for all of our Pokémon. I noticed that Chimchar seemed to enjoy it most of all.

"Looks like you've outdone yourself again, Brocko," I grinned.

"Well, that's nice to hear," Brock blushed.

Suddenly, another Chimchar came up to us from out of nowhere, startling us.

"Whose Chimchar is that?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know," I shook my head.

Pikachu, Turtwig, Chimchar, and Piplup went up to the new Chimchar to say hello, but before any of us could react, the new Chimchar stole some of my Chimchar's food, along with food form everyone else, and dashed like crazy across the hall, with a trio of angry Pokémon in pursuit. Chimchar, though he was the main victim, did not join the others but simply hung his head in sorrow.

That sight alone was enough for me. "Hey, get back here!" I barked, and ran after it.

"Hey, stop that Chimchar!" someone called out.

I turned around and saw two blonde-haired boys around Brock's age, one clearly older than the other, run after the Chimchar we were chasing after. The older boy had a lanky build with neatly combed-back dark brown hair and thin-framed glasses covering his dark brown eyes, while the other was a shorter and huskier curly-haired blonde with sapphire eyes and a bit of peach fuzz growing on his face.

"I got him!" the shorter one said, and called out a Gardevoir, which held its arms out and stopped the thieving Chimchar with its psychic powers. "Good work, Masami," the boy said, and Gardevoir nodded, smiling, and let the older boy take Chimchar into his arms.

"I told you, Kai," he said, very sternly, "don't take food from other Pokémon! We've got plenty! If you're still hungry, just say something! Whatever you do, don't steal! Now apologize to those Pokémon!"

The Chimchar, who I assumed was named Kai, dipped his head and chattered an apology to the four of our Pokémon, who (with the minor exception of Piplup) forgave him. The boy that I assumed was this Chimchar's Trainer then turned to us.

"I'm so sorry about Kai," he said, bowing reverently. "He's a bit of a handful. I just got him from Professor Rowan about two weeks ago, just after Aaron over there and I arrived here in Sinnoh."

"Hey, it's okay," I said. "No one was hurt, that's the important thing. You know, that's a cool Chimchar you got. He looks pretty strong!"

"He is," the boy nodded, "but he also has a thing for mischief. I'm Francis Xavyer, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Ash Ketchum," I said. "This is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pika pika!" (Nice to meet you!) Pikachu bowed on my shoulder.

"My name's Dawn Didier," Dawn smiled, "and this is Piplup!" Piplup chirped in salutation.

"I'm Brock Harrison," Brock nodded. "Nice to meet you!"

Just then, the boy gasped in shock. "Your name is Ash Ketchum? As in 'Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town in Kanto' Ash Ketchum!?"

"Uh, yeah," I nodded, confused.

"Oh, WOW!" Francis clapped his hands together and grabbed mine. "I can't believe it's really you! Ash Ketchum, up close and in the flesh! I'm one of your biggest fans!"

"Really?" I grinned, happy that I had at least one fan.

"Look, Aaron!" he said, calling his friend with the Gardevoir over, "it's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

"Oh, really?" Aaron said, coming over to our side and looking me up and down. "So you're the kid who beat Brandon last summer." He then held his hand out, which I then shook. "I'm Aaron Rune, nice to meet you."

He then curled his lips into a smirk. "You look like a strong guy with a good heart. How about treating Frankie and me over here to a battle?"

Now it was my turn to grin. "If there's one thing I never do, it's turn away a battle! You're on, both of you!"

"I want in on this too!" Brock grinned. "You guys look like a real challenge!"

"Pinch me, I must be dreaming," Francis gawked. "I'm actually going to battle with _the_ Ash Ketchum!"

"Keep staying in fan-boy mode like that and I might pinch you, Frankie," Aaron snapped.

"Right, sorry, Big A," Francis waved, and we went outside to the backyard battlefield.

(-o-)

Francis and I stood at opposite sides of the field, waiting to see who would call out a Pokémon first. Since Brock was battling with me, Dawn was left on the sidelines to referee instead of cheerleading.

"This tag battle between Francis Xavyer and Aaron Rune versus Ash Ketchum and Brock Harrison will now begin!" Dawn said. "Each Trainer uses one Pokémon and when that Pokémon can't battle, you're out! Okay, now for a coin toss to see who goes first!"

"We call tails!" I said.

"Then we'll get heads!" Aaron said.

"And… Coin Toss!" Dawn said, and activated her Pokétch application. "Looks like it's heads!"

"Awesome!" Aaron grinned and called out a Poké Ball. "Pharika, let's get wild!"

"Alright, Mephistis," Francis said, "let's go!"

The Pokémon that Francis and Aaron called out startled Brock and I, as well as Pikachu. Pharika was a very familiar tall cobra-like Pokémon with a face-like hood and Mephistis was an all-too familiar two-headed bag of poison.

"Pharika is an Arbok!" I gasped.

"And Mephistis is a Weezing!" Brock added, equally surprised.

"Arbok and Weezing, huh?" Dawn asked, confused before pulling out her pink Pokédex.

"_Arbok, the Cobra Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ekans,_" the machine read. "_This Pokémon has a terrifically strong constricting power. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once it wraps its body around its foe, escaping is impossible._" She then scanned Mephistis. "_Weezing, the Poison Gas Pokémon, and the evolved form of Koffing. By diluting its toxic gases with a special process, the highest grade of perfume can be extracted. To Weezing, gases emanating from garbage are the ultimate feast._"

"I don't think we've seen an Arbok or a Weezing since…" Brock started.

"Team Rocket's Arbok and Weezing," I finished, nodding.

"What are you waiting for?" Aaron asked, oblivious to Brock's and my shock.

"Uh, right!" I said, and called out Chimchar. "Chimchar, I choose you!"

"Sudowoodo, let's go!" Brock added, and called out his Imitation Pokémon.

"Now," Dawn waved, "let the battle begin!"

"Pharika, use Poison Sting!" Aaron called out, and the Cobra Pokémon shot tons of poisonous needles from her mouth.

"Sludge Bomb, Mephistis!" Francis added. "Let's go!" Mephistis then spat giant globs of poison at our Pokémon.

As they launched their attacks, I could suddenly see Jessie and James in Aaron and Francis' respective places using their Arbok and Weezing. I soon slapped myself, trying to get back into the battle. _What's wrong with me? _I thought to myself.

"Uh, Chimchar, use Dig to escape!" I cried.

"Sudowoodo, use Mimic on the Dig!" Brock added.

Both Pokémon dug different holes, but only Sudowoodo managed to hit Pharika. Chimchar jumped high but fell well short of hitting Mephistis.

"How'd he miss?" I asked. "Dig has never missed before!"

"That's Mephistis' Ability, Levitate!" Francis replied. "She can't be hit by any Ground-Type move at all, not even from status moves like Sand Attack!"

Pharika and Mephistis both grinned that caused me to think that they looked exactly like Jessie's Arbok and James' Weezing. _What is the matter with me?_ I hissed in my mind. _Why am I thinking about them when I should be focused on this battle?_

"Hey, Ash, what's up?" Brock asked, sensing my discomfort.

"It's… it's nothing," I waved. "Let's get on the battle! Chimchar, Flamethrower!" Chimchar shot a stream of flame which hit Mephistis directly on the skull and crossbones marking on her chest.

Brock furrowed his brow, but shrugged. "Right, Sudowoodo, use Double-Edge!" Sudowoodo glowed white and slammed into Pharika with devastating force, but suffered no recoil damage due to his Rock Head Ability.

"You okay, Pharika?" Aaron asked, and his Arbok slowly nodded. "Right, use Earthquake!"

"And you use Dark Pulse, Mephistis!" Francis cried, and his Poison Gas Pokémon shot rings of dark energy at our team. The Earthquake knocked Chimchar and Sudowoodo into the air, and the Dark Pulse sent them crashing back down to earth, with spirals in all of their eyes.

"Uh, Chimchar and Sudowoodo can't battle anymore!" Dawn ruled, stunned. "Pharika the Arbok and Mephistis the Weezing… are the winners! This means that the tag battle goes to Francis and Aaron!"

"Oh wow!" Francis gasped. "I actually beat my hero! No surprise, since I am a Hoenn League finalist!"

"_Quarter_-finalist, Frankie," Aaron corrected as he recalled Pharika. "I'm the finalist here."

Francis face-faulted instantly. "Must you be so insistent, Aaron?" he whimpered as Mephistis was sent back into her Poké Ball.

"And speaking of heroes, you sure know how to pick yours," Aaron huffed. "I figured that anyone who was strong enough to have beaten Brandon would have at least put up a good fight, even with a new team like yours is."

I was too stunned to move. I meet a duo of complete strangers who totally trounce a Gym Leader and a Trainer who's been to four leagues in his whole career, conquered one, beat the Battle Frontier, and make it look like child's play. I looked up at Aaron's smirk, and I saw that his face looked just like Jessie's when she was rubbing a victory in my face. Francis' mix of sadness and happiness was almost exactly like James when he gave Cacnea to Gardenia, and I could not help but hiss at this.

"Well, that was a good battle," I said, sullenly. Chimchar chattered sadly, noticing my displeased tone, but I patted his head and smiled warmly. "Hey, you did okay, buddy. Be proud of yourself."

Francis then cocked his head. "Say, that Chimchar looks… kind of upset for losing one battle."

I looked at him, unsure of how to respond to that. "Well, he's had a tough life before he met me."

"You mean you're not this Chimchar's original Trainer?" Aaron asked, now curious.

Chimchar and I both tensed up, but I nodded. "Yeah, I'm not. We don't normally talk about it openly to other people."

"If it's that uncomfortable to talk about, then please don't tell us," Francis said calmly.

"No, I can't keep it all in, and neither can Chimchar," I said, shaking my head. "Chimchar once belonged to this cold-hearted Trainer named Paul. All that he cares about in battles is having power and using it to crush anyone who gets in his way, and there isn't anything he won't do to get it. Chimchar's not the first one he's abandoned, take it from me. I lost track at five with that Stantler he caught in Bewilder Forest."

"Five!?" Francis and Aaron gasped.

"Want to pull up a stool?" Dawn quipped. "It's quite a tale." Brock nodded in agreement.

"Okay, you got me hooked," Aaron said, going towards the Pokémon Center. "Let's get our team healed up and we can talk about ourselves and our adventures."

(-o-)

**Part 2: It's Exposition Time**

While Nurse Joy was healing Chimchar and Sudowoodo, we all sat down in the Trainer's lounge to talk about Chimchar.

"I met Paul when I first got here in Sinnoh," I said. "He challenged me to a three-on-three battle, but all that I had was my newly caught Starly and my old Aipom. My Pikachu had been taken by these creeps called Team Rocket, who have been trailing me for the past three years."

"Three years?" Aaron's eyes widened. "How old are you, anyway?"

"I turned 14 a while ago," he replied. "Anyway, he scoffed and turned away, calling me pathetic. He showed me that he caught three Starly, but then released two when all they knew was Tackle. I told him off and said any Pokémon could be stronger if raised properly, but he called me pathetic again and walked away."

"Well, that's rude," Francis frowned.

"Tell me about it," Brock nodded. "I was there with him, you know."

"I did get Pikachu back later on," I continued.

"And that's how he and Brock met me," Dawn commented. "I found Pikachu running from Team Rocket after he escaped from them."

"And after I met Professor Rowan and got my Sinnoh Pokédex, along with these new threads from my mom," I went on, "Paul showed up again and re-issued his challenge, since he saw that I now had three Pokémon."

"And Paul didn't kid around," Dawn said. "His Starly wiped the floor with Ash's Starly, but Chimchar lost to Aipom."

"Didn't Paul's Starly lose?" Francis asked.

"Don't you remember anything I said about Kanto rules?" Aaron asked his friend. "Three-on-three, no substitutions, win or lose, use a new Pokémon in the next battle!"

"Oh yeah," Francis nodded. "So what happened next?"

"Pikachu tied with his Elekid after Elekid absorbed all of Pikachu's electricity and powered up its own attacks!" Dawn said, remembering the battle quite clearly.

"Yowza," Francis whistled. "So it was a draw all around. What did Paul do next?"

"He threw away his final Starly," I said bluntly.

"What!?" Francis gasped, horrified. "But it won! Why would he do that?"

"You wouldn't believe what he said about that," I said, and then narrowed my eyes to look like Paul. "'There's a million Starly stronger than that one. Soon as I find one, I'll grab it.'"

"He said that!?" Aaron growled. "What a little… twerp!"

I quietly whimpered at the mention of that word, and the others picked up on that. "Sorry, that word has an unpleasant history with me."

"How come?" Francis asked.

"Team Rocket calls me and my friends twerps all the time," I explained, "so they kind of ruined that word for us."

"Okay…" Aaron said, furrowing his brow. "So did you ever run into Paul again?"

"There's no getting away from him," I nodded. "First, there was Bewilder Forest where he caught a Stantler, only to release it when it only knew Tackle. He also caught an Ursaring, but he's obviously found it strong enough for him since he's held onto it this long. Then he challenged Cynthia to a battle…"

"Wait, Cynthia?" Aaron asked. "As in, 'the Champion of the Sinnoh League' Cynthia?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "and you can guess how well that went."

"Total annihilation," Aaron and Francis said in unison.

"And his Chimchar got the worst from it," I said. "And I saw that Cynthia took notice of Chimchar being called pathetic, and didn't like it. She also didn't like him not taking his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center after he gave up following his Torterra's loss."

"Okay, now I'm really starting to hate this guy," Francis hissed.

"Then you'll love this next part," Dawn said sarcastically. "Did you see the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament on TV?"

"No, we just got in Sinnoh about two weeks ago," Aaron shook his head.

"Almost one whole month ago," I said, "Paul and I were entrants into a Tag Battle Tournament in Hearthome City. I went so I could cope with the frustration that the Gym Leader was not there. Needless to say, Paul and I weren't happy with being paired up with each other. He worked his Chimchar to death the night before our second day, and we took him to the Pokémon Center by force."

"The more I hear about him, the more I hate him," Francis growled.

"We learned that he was treating Chimchar the way he did so that he could unlock a tremendous power inside of him," Brock explained, "and that was how he met Chimchar in the first place. According to Paul Chimchar was chased by a horde of angry Zangoose and they came within inches of killing him, when he was suddenly engulfed in flames and created a raging inferno, destroying everything in his path."

"Whoa," Francis whistled. "That sounds intense."

"Regardless," I said, "Paul was about to take Chimchar out of intensive care that moment, but Nurse Joy ordered to let Chimchar rest." My eyes narrowed as I went on. "Three guesses what happened next."

"Don't tell me…" Aaron started, his expression turning dark.

"You got it," I nodded darkly. "He disobeyed her orders and brought out Chimchar, knowing that his opponent had a Zangoose, the very Pokémon he feared for so long. Ironically, Chimchar was too scared to do anything, and Paul gave up on him." I then stared at the floor, my eyes burning with hate. "He then abandoned Chimchar that night. I took it in, and according to him: 'You deserve each other. You're both pathetic.'"

"Why, I ought to…!" Francis snapped, rolling his sleeves up and balling his fists up. "If I ever meet that smug son of a Seviper, I'll knock his block off six ways back home to Hoenn!"

"Easy, calm down," Aaron said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I want to cream that creep just as bad as you do, but violence won't solve anything."

"You're from Hoenn?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, he's from Lilycove City," Aaron nodded, "and I'm from Fortree City."

"That's cool," I said. "Anyway, we won the battle, but Paul gave his prize, a Soothe Bell to me. He said he didn't need it or even want it. We then decided to head to Veilstone City, and here we are."

"Well, I hope you kick his butt for all the Pokémon he's hurt, Ash," Francis said, grinning.

"If I may say something off of _that_ unpleasant subject," Aaron said, "I noticed you looked distant during our battle against Pharika and Mephistis."

"Well," I said, "remember what I told you about Team Rocket? They had an Arbok and a Weezing once. Don't know what happened to them, but yesterday was… kind of a mixed moment."

"How so?" the Hoenn brothers asked.

"A few days after the Hearthome Tag Battle," I said, "James from Team Rocket left his Cacnea to the Eterna City Gym Leader Gardenia at her insistence so that it could learn how to use a move called Drain Punch. After I saw just how much James and Cacnea wanted to get stronger, I had to help them out."

"I thought Ash was only helping the bad guys get stronger," Dawn stated, "but this moment really did seem much different from past encounters with Team Rocket. Then again, I've only seen them for a few month or two at best."

"We've actually had a few run-ins before Sinnoh where we've helped them out and they've helped us," Brock said.

"So you don't think that this James is really a bad guy type?" Francis asked.

"Kinda, yeah," I nodded. "It's hard to explain, but I've basically seen why he joined them in the first place, and I kinda don't blame him."

"How do you mean?" Francis asked.

Before I could reply, Nurse Joy came up with Chimchar and Sudowoodo. "Thank you for waiting! Your Chimchar and Sudowoodo are both back to perfect health!"

"Thanks a bunch, Nurse Joy!" I said, and Chimchar hopped onto my shoulder, and I patted his head. Brock also greeted his Sudowoodo, who saluted him back.

"Hey, who is this James guy anyway?" Francis asked. "What does he look like?"

"Well," I said, trying to remember what he looked like, which was surprisingly hard, "he's tall, a bit lanky, neck-length lavender hair, green eyes, and will probably have a Carnivine or a Mime Jr. out and about with him at all times."

At this description, Francis and Aaron looked at each other and their eyes widened in realization.

"Did I say something bad?" I asked, noticing this.

"There's… something you need to see," Francis said.

"It's at the Solaceon Day Care Center," Aaron said, "just down the road."

They got geared up and left the building, leaving the rest of us confused, but then quickly followed the duo to wherever they were going. We followed them a short distance to a small house overlooking a huge and beautiful field where many Pokémon of all shapes and sizes were playing together. The sight of all of this was very refreshing, and we all were amazed at the wonder of this place. I turned around and saw Francis and Aaron knocking at the door.

"Is this the Day Care center?" I asked.

"It is," Francis nodded. "We left some of our Pokémon here, and you'll soon see why we went back."

Just then, the door opened, and a fair-skinned man in his early 20's came out. He was dressed in a green Pokémon Breeder's apron and had a Breeder's shawl covering his full head of lavender hair, which now started to dangle over his eyes. But to me, his most astonishing feature was a Pikachu perched onto his shoulder. At one look at me and my friends, the four of us gasped in shock.

"Twerps!?"

"JAMES?!"

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**A/N: Sorry for the slight cliffhanger, but I do have work to get done in school. I'm quite behind now, and I NEED to catch up. But please leave me a comment on how I'm handling this and what I can do to improve! I want to make this story my greatest work ever!  
**

**-JeremyX signing off!**


	2. Solaceon Day Care! James and Pikachu?

**A/N: Okay, after a few discussions with my writing partner, I've decided to update the early chapters as the story goes along. So please bear with me for now in the early weirdness! There will be a few game references in this story, as well as occasional 4th wall breakage. It's Team Rocket, what did you expect?**

**Pokémon (C) 1995-2015 Pokémon, Nintendo, GAME FREAK, Creatures**

**I, the author, make no money from this story! I make no money from my OCs either! Please support the official release!**

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Episode 2: Solaceon Day Care! Pokémon Breeder James and Pikachu!?

**(-o-) James (-o-)**

"What are you doing here?" I gasped, not expecting to see Ash and company, of all people, with those two boys who had come here not too long ago to leave their Pokémon in the Day Care's… well, care.

"I'm the one who should be asking you that!" the red capped boy shot back.

"You'd better watch yourself!" Dawn snapped. "This is a place for Pokémon, not nasty, evil, thieving people like you!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, three Pokémon flew out of the door and into the arms of the two Hoenn-born Trainers standing behind the trio of familiar kids.

"Looking great, Kagami," Aaron grinned, as his Espeon, Kagami, rubbed against his leg.

"Heya, Michael!" the older one, Francis, grinned as he petted his Jolteon. "Did you have fun? Was Mr. Morgan nice to you?" Michael the Jolteon nodded and went up to me, rubbing my leg affectionately. "Looks like our Pokémon really appreciate the care you've given them, Mr. Morgan. Thanks a lot."

"Please," I waved, "call me James."

"Hold on," Dawn said. "You two know this guy?"

"We've been coming here every day for the past three days to drop off Michael and Kagami for some good old-fashioned R&amp;R," Francis explained.

"Oh, Aaron and Francis," a woman's voice called out. "Good to see you again!"

The kids turned around to see a woman clearly older than me, with neck-length fuchsia hair tied in a long ponytail. She also wore a green Breeder's apron over a pink dress shirt and blue jeans. Her face looked familiar to Ash, but he couldn't place a name to it. As soon as she saw Ash, she gasped.

"Wait, a red cap… a Pikachu on the shoulder…" she stated, and snapped her fingers, "you must be Ash Ketchum! James here has talked quite a bit about you!"

"Oh, he has?" Ash quipped, now glaring at me.

"He would not stop talking about what an amazing Trainer and person you are," the woman nodded.

"Oh, he has?" Ash repeated, not expecting this.

"Oh, forgive me," she said, bowing. "My name is Audrey Austin. I'm a Pokémon Breeder and I run the Solaceon Day Care. James here has been working here for the past month as a volunteer Breeder."

"James is a volunteer Breeder?" Ash gasped.

"You're a professional Breeder?" Brock added, also surprised.

Just then, Ash's Pikachu caught sight of the Pikachu on my shoulder and gasped in shock. My Pikachu nodded, and both Pikachu jumped to the ground and started to talk very excitedly.

"Whoa, you know this Pikachu, buddy?" Ash asked, kneeling down to their level.

"Pikapi! Pika Pikachu-chu! (Ash, it's Pikachutwo!)" Pikachu said, and contorted his face and various parts of his body to resemble a certain Genetic Pokémon. He even curled his paws to look like Mewtwo's weird genetic fingers.

"Hey, that looks like Mewtwo!" Ash said, and then realized what that meant as he now was gawking at the new Pikachu. It looked exactly like his Pikachu, but his ears were spiky like a Pichu. There was only one Pokémon in the world that Ash had seen that was like that. "You're Pikachutwo?" Ash gasped.

"Pi pika. (Yep, that's me.)" Pikachutwo nodded, grinning slightly.

"What's a Pikachutwo?" Dawn asked, confused.

"How about we talk about this inside?" Audrey asked. "James and I were just about to serve lunch for the Pokémon."

"Sounds like a good idea to me!" Ash nodded, and we all headed inside.

(-o-)

Ash and the other kids were seated at a large dinner table in the Breeder's mess hall, and the Pokémon were all in a special dining area not far from the human table.

"So what's going on here?" Ash asked Audrey. "How do you know about James?"

"He came to work here about a month ago," Audrey replied.

"A month ago?" Dawn gasped.

"That's when he left Cacnea to Gardenia so it could master Drain Punch!" Brock realized.

"I understand you three have a… less than pleasant experience with James in the past," Audrey said, nervously. "But I think you should know that he's changed considerably since your last encounter."

Just then, I brought in the food tray with all the works. "All right, gang, soup's on! And I mean that literally!" Seven bowls of soup were then placed on the table, and I sat down next to Audrey. "I made this one myself: extra creamy cheese and potato soup with diced celery stirred in!"

"Sounds pretty good, Jimmy," Francis grinned, and dug right in. Aaron ate more well-mannered than his friend, but showed that he enjoyed it no less.

Ash and the others stared for a few seconds, confused, before they took a tentative spoonful in unison. Almost at once, their eyes grew wide and Ash started whipping the soup into his mouth. Like Aaron, Brock and Dawn ate less rudely than Ash, but they clearly liked it just as much as he did.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Ash cheered, happily scarfing it down.

"I never thought James could cook!" Dawn said.

"This may even rival my own cooking!" Brock added, clearly impressed.

Pikachu also seemed to enjoy the Pokémon food that Audrey and I made, as did the other Pokémon. Pikachutwo and Mime Jr. came over and all of the Pokémon started to have a back-and-forth conversation with each other. Then, to Ash's complete astonishment, a small Charmander came up to a bowl marked with the name: "Red".

"Whose Charmander is that?" he asked.

"Would any of you believe me if I told you he's mine?" I joked.

"Not a chance," Dawn said.

"Well, he is," Audrey nodded. "He actually got it from Professor Oak two weeks ago."

At this, Ash choked on his soup and had a fit of coughing. "Wait, what!? Professor Oak was here!?"

"Even more, he gave James a Pokémon!?" Brock gasped, also shocked.

"If you all calm down," Audrey said, "James will explain everything."

"Okay, okay," Ash said, calming down. "You might as well start from the beginning."

I nodded, and began to tell my tale.

(-o-)

**(-o-) FLASHBACK (-o-)**

The following events happened a month before I arrived in Solaceon Town. I was lying on a hill at night with Carnivine and Mime Jr., depressed about leaving Cacnea behind and because of my inability to help my friend when he needed me the most. All of a sudden, I heard a faint sound coming from above us.

"Li, deli, li, deli…"

I looked up and saw a familiar bird Pokémon approach us by the light of the moon.

"Is that…?" I asked myself, and confirmed it when the bird became closer. "It is!"

"What's what, James?" Jessie asked, noticing I was showing some emotion.

"Look up there!" I pointed, and my friends saw what I saw.

"It's Team Rocket's Deliboid!" Meowth cheered.

"And he's not alone!" a voice called out.

We all looked behind us and saw a young man and an old woman come out of the woods, and Delibird landed next to them. The old woman had combed back pale orange hair and wore a pink overcoat over a black shirt, while the young man had a spiky dark brown mop top with gold streaks and was dressed in an elite Team Rocket admin uniform.

"Hey, it's that Team Rocket recruitment scout from Johto!" Meowth said, recognizing the old woman.

"But who's the big guy?" Jessie asked, seeing the strange newcomer. "He looks kinda tough."

"That's my grandson, Frank James!" the Rocket Scout grinned. "He's Team Rocket's newest admin!"

"I'm looking for James Morgan," Frank said. "I have a message for him from the Boss."

"The Boss!?" I gasped, jumping up and standing at attention. "What does he need from me?"

"You and your partner's Pokémon," he said bluntly, and Delibird opened its sack-like tail and made motions for James to hand over his Poké Balls.

"Uh, what?" Jessie gawked. "Why do our Pokémon have to go?"

"They're payment for your friend's massive damage to our organization," he replied. "Also, he's fired."

At this, we all blanched. "Wh-what?" I gasped.

"And you're not getting back in, so don't come crying to me!" the scout smirked. "Now be a good boy and give us your Pokémon! Giovanni's gonna make a base in Sinnoh, and he needs manpower for it! Or perhaps I should say, Pokémon power!"

Before I reacted, Carnivine attacked the Rocket agents with Bullet Seed, and Mime Jr. used Mimic to do a second wave of Bullet Seed, knocking the three out for now. Jessie, Meowth, and I were speechless at this sudden event, but Carnivine and Mime Jr. started to say something.

"Dey're sayin' dat dey'll never let anyone take dem away from ya, Jimmy," Meowth translated, "and dat dey'll never let you be taken away against yer will, eitha."

"Thanks a bunch, guys," I said, "but now we have to run."

"I agree," Jessie nodded, and handed me a huge bag of supplies. "We felt you'd need some stuff after Cacnea left, so we got this last night while you were asleep."

"You better make a run for it real fast!" Meowth said. "Dose guys won't be out for long!" As if on cue, the scout, Frank, and Delibird started to come around.

"What about you?" I asked, afraid for my friends.

"We can take care of ourselves!" Jessie said, "but you just go! We're putting your and your Pokémon's needs above our needs, like real true best friends do!"

I gasped, but then felt water flow from my face as I gave my friends one last big hug. "We'll meet again, I promise!"

With that, I ran off into the night as I heard the sound of a battle raging behind me.

"Get that traitor and hand me his head!" I heard Frank call out.

Gritting my teeth, I ran forward, not daring to look back or try to help my friends. I was not about to let their sacrifice be in vain.

**(-o-) FLASHBACK: THE NEXT MORNING (-o-)**

Having found some shelter in a small cave under a tree, I dug myself out, cleaned up my campsite, and walked for another kilometer or two before I checked my GPS to find out where I was.

"Huh, looks like I'm just outside of Solaceon Town," I stated. "I got some distance last night." I then snapped my fingers, having come to a realization. "Hey, the twerps were heading there on their way to Veilstone City! Maybe I'm ahead of them for once!" As soon as my excitement came, I groaned as I felt my stomach growling. "But first, I need something for breakfast."

With that, I headed towards the city. Luckily, Jessie had included a change of clothes in my bag so that no one confused me for a Team Rocket agent. Then again, Team Rocket didn't have any agents in Sinnoh, and nobody we ran into here even heard of Team Rocket in the first place. Before I arrived at the Pokémon Center, I found myself facing a small building to my left with a huge field behind it, with tons of Pokémon playing and running around happily. There were lots of toys and slide-and-swing play sets for the Pokémon strayed everywhere, and a cool rustic little well in the middle.

"Looks like a nice place," I said, and then thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not super hungry right now, so why not?"

I walked over to the building, and saw a little girl there. "Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked, kneeling down to her level.

"I'm too little to raise Pokémon," she answered, "so the nice lady is raising them for me!"

"How old are you, eight?" I joked, noticing her height as being half of my own.

"I'll be turning eight in a week," she said. _Wow,_ I thought to myself, _she really is young._ "Hey, are you a Pokémon Trainer?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, why?" I replied uncertainly.

"The Day-Care Lady posted a help wanted on the door at the Pokémon Center!" she replied, and pointed to a sign on the door of the red-roofed building a few meters away.

I walked over and saw a poster with strips of paper dangling off of it for people to take off, each with the same phone number printed onto it. I took one for myself, and I saw that it read: "Help Wanted – Solaceon Day Care. Call Audrey Austin at 04-1459-2009."

"Huh, I may have to look into that," I said. "Maybe this could give me a new chance to help Pokémon." Unfortunately, my growling gut had other plans. "Uhh… first lunch, then help."

I then put the slip into my back pocket and went up to the deli counter in the Pokémon Center, looking for a nice cup of coffee and something else to get me going. I had gotten to my table with an light roast latte and a cream cheese Danish, I overheard two boys saying something that piqued my interest.

"Did you see the Hearthome Tag Battle last week?" one kid asked.

"Wasn't that with Ash Ketchum from Kanto who won the Kanto Battle Frontier last summer?" the other one nodded.

"That's the one," his friend nodded. "But did you see his battle partner?"

"No," the other boy shook his head. "Who was it?"

"It was this creep named Paul," he replied. "His Chimchar got hurt really bad in the first day battle, but he used it again the next day! He even made it attack Ash's Turtwig so that it could get into the battle when Turtwig tried to protect it!"

"You serious!?" the second kid gasped, and the first kid nodded solemnly.

"I should know!" I piped up. "I was there as a food vendor! I even saw him defy Nurse Joy's order to let him rest! You should have seen Ash's reaction to that, I thought he was going to nail him right then and there!" I then smirked to myself. "Personally, I kinda hoped he would. If he won't, I sure as Ho-Oh will."

"Someone ought to report him to Officer Jenny for that," the second boy mused.

"What happened to Chimchar?" the other boy asked.

"You'll be happy to know he's in Ash's capable hands," I replied.

"Well, that's a relief," the first boy sighed. "Do you know Ash, mister?"

"Uh, yeah, we're friends," I nodded, stretching the truth slightly. "I heard he was on his way to Veilstone City for his third Sinnoh Gym Badge."

"Cool!" the boys said, getting up. "We need to get our badges too!" With that, they left.

"Ah, to be young," I smiled as I went back to my breakfast.

(-o-)

After my nice breakfast, and a quick rest afterwards for me and my Pokémon, I went up to one of the phones in the Pokémon Center. Taking out the slip, I read the number and dialed it. The dull dial tone sounded for a few seconds before the face of a Pokémon Breeder filled the screen.

"Hello, this is the Solaceon Day Care," the breeder said. "How may I help you?"

"Yes, I'm calling about the job offer," I said into the receiver. "I was told to speak to Miss Audrey, is she available?"

"Yes, please hold on," the young man said, and left the screen. After a few seconds, a dark purple-haired woman in a Breeder's outfit appeared.

"Hello, this is Audrey," the woman said.

"Hello, my name is James," I said. "I'm calling about the job offer at the Solaceon Day Care."

"Oh, yes," she nodded. "Are you close by?"

"I'm in the Solaceon Town Pokémon Center," I said. "What qualifications do I need for the job?"

"How about you swing by here and I fill you in on the details?" she asked.

"Okay, I'll do that," I said, and hung up.

I then left the Pokémon Center and walked back down the road towards the Day Care, with Mime Jr. riding on my shoulder. I felt a bit nervous, but I shrugged it off before I arrived at the Day Care center. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, and Audrey showed up to greet me.

"It's nice to meet you, James," she said. "Please come in."

I bowed and walked inside, making sure to wipe my feet. I saw a few Breeders rush around with pails of water and bags of food. With the multitude of Pokémon outside, I was surprised to see so few people working here.

"Do you always have this short a staff?" I asked, curiously.

"Day Care centers don't need much in the way of human help," she said, "but we are a bit short-staffed at the moment. We've gotten quite a bit of Pokémon here and it's truly hard to take care of them all."

"Yeah, I can see that," I said, looking out the window at the multitude of Pokémon outside. "So what is there to do here?"

"Well," Audrey began, "we have a sick bay if Pokémon need medical attention without needing Nurse Joy to overwork, and we have the kitchen to prepare most of the meals for the Pokémon we take care of, as well as the human staff."

"Just put me in the lowest spot," I said, "and I'll do what I can."

"Alright," she said as she led me into the kitchen, "how about I start you with KP?"

"Kitchen patrol?" I said, grinning. "No problem! I did all the cleaning and cooking work for my friends when we were travelling." My smile turned into a frown when I remembered the friends I left behind not two days ago.

"What's the matter?" Audrey asked, picking up on my sudden frown.

"Oh, just thinking about those friends," I said. "We split up a couple of days back."

"Oh, that's sad," she said, handing me a Breeder's apron. "I hope you meet up again."

"Thanks," I said, smiling. I then put the apron on and started to wash the dishes.

(-o-)

After the dishes were clean and the floor was mopped, which took me about an hour to do, I went to see Audrey. "Floor's mopped, dishes are done, you wanna check it for yourself?"

She nodded, and we went to the kitchen. True to my word, not a stain or spot was to be seen. Everything was put away nice and neat, and the whole room truly shone.

"Wow, I'm impressed!" she grinned.

"Well, I had to learn it myself to take care of those loafers," I smiled, joking around.

"I also needed help with a special Pokémon case," she said. "Follow me."

I followed her to the sick bay, and one of the six beds held a very special patient. It looked just like Ash's Pikachu, except that its ears were more spiky, like a Pichu's. I felt like I had seen this one before, but could not remember at the moment.

"It's a Pikachu," I gasped. "What's wrong with it?"

"It's completely out of energy," she said. "I assumed that it suffered from a lack of electricity in its cheek pouches, but we haven't been able to generate enough electricity to test it out. We found it in the field yesterday, but it hasn't showed any signs of recovering. It hasn't even eaten anything. We considered calling Nurse Joy, but I felt like this Pikachu needed someone special to help it."

"Do you have jumper cables?" I asked.

"Not small enough for a Pikachu, no," she shook her head.

I thought for a moment, trying to think of a good plan from all my years of hunting that kid's Pikachu. Just then, I had an idea. "Do you have any Electric-Type Pokémon in your care here?"

"I believe so," she said, and we went outside. "Hello! Are there any Electric-Type Pokémon here?" What came up was a Plusle, a Minun, and a Shinx. "Looks like we do, James. What's the plan?"

"All right," I said, talking to the Pokémon. "There's a sick Pikachu here, and we need you to help it recover. It needs lots and lots of electricity to get it back on its feet. Can I count on you all do it?"

The trio agreed, and followed us into the ward. They got on the table, and Plusle and Minun joined hands, with Plusle touching one of Pikachu's cheeks while Minun touched the other. They released a joined current which flowed into Pikachu. Shinx took Pikachu's tail in its own tail and sent its own electricity into it. After a few seconds, the trio stopped.

"Did it work?" I asked as I looked at the Pikachu. A few seconds later, Pikachu slowly opened its eyes as its cheeks crackled. "All right! Good job, you three!" The trio cheered and went back out to play.

"That was amazing," Audrey smiled. "Not even I could figure that out. You have the makings of a top-notch Breeder, James."

Just then, the Pikachu got up and looked at me. It gasped in realization and jumped onto my shoulder, rubbing against my neck. "Whoa, what's gotten into you?" I asked, taken aback.

"He seems to like you," Audrey smiled. "Why don't I let you take care of him?"

"Uh, okay," I said, shrugging. Audrey then left and I looked at this new Pikachu. Just then, I remembered where I had seen this one before. "Hey, I remember you! You're that Pikachu clone from Mewtwo's group! I thought those ears looked familiar!" The Pikachu nodded. "Well, I left Team Rocket forever and I'm starting a new life. Do you want to be my new partner?"

For a while, Pikachutwo didn't answer, but then nodded. "Okay, but I'll have to use a Poké Ball so that no one will try to catch you, okay?" He nodded, albeit uneasily, and I used an empty Poké Ball on him. After a few dings, the capture was successful, and I let him out. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Suddenly, I heard a scream from the backyard. "What was that!?" I gasped.

Just then, a Breeder rushed in. "It's horrible! Someone's attacking the Pokémon in the backyard!"

Gasping in horror, I dashed outside and was confronted with my worst fear: the elite Team Rocket agent Goddard with a Mightyena and a Raticate attacking all the other Pokémon and even the people too. As soon as I showed up, Goddard noticed me and smiled cruelly.

"Well, well, well," he chuckled, "if it isn't our little runaway. Hand over your Pokémon and _maybe_ I'll consider leaving these saps be."

I hissed, angry. "I'll never surrender any Pokémon to the likes of you. See, I realized something last night and just today. I realized just how wrong stealing Pokémon is, and how much I've screwed up. I don't know if I'll ever be forgiven, but I can start doing something different, starting now!" With that, I called out Carnivine and Mime Jr., who got into a battle-ready stance. "GO GET HIM!"

**(-o-) END FLASHBACK (-o-)**

"So what happened next?" Ash asked.

"Oh, I kicked his butt to the curb," I smiled. "Carnivine gnawed out Raticate, and Pikachutwo blasted him off, just like you did to us so often."

"And you've been working here ever since?" Brock asked.

"That's right," I nodded. "Audrey accepted me as her apprentice, and I'm now an officially licensed Pokémon Breeder." I pulled out a wallet card to show them the proof.

"But how does this Charmander come into the picture?" Dawn asked.

"I wrote it down in my journal," I said, and handed them a small book from my backpack. "Read it yourself and see what I've done so far!"

The whole gang soon read my story, which I would go on to title: "Journal of a Repentant Rocket", which may be published sometime in the near future to all who are reading this story! That's right, kids! Team Rocket breaks the fourth wall of the fan fiction world too!

After all the kids present had read a bit of the book, Ash gave it back to me. "So what are your plans now, James?"

"I figured once I was settled in," I replied, "I could join the Sinnoh League and face you as a rival, Ash."

"You want to earn badges like me?" Ash gasped, surprised.

"After seeing what kind of brat Paul is," I grinned, "you need a good rival. In fact, how about we battle right now so I can show you what I'm made of?"

Ash grinned at this and nodded. "Okay, James, you're on!"

(-o-)

We had gone outside to the battlefield in the pasture, and Brock stepped up as the referee.

"This Pokémon battle between Ash and James will now begin!" Brock declared. "Each side will use three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all three Pokémon on one side are unable to battle! During this battle, both sides will be allowed to substitute Pokémon!"

"This could be interesting," Dawn said.

"Pip lup," (For sure.) Piplup nodded.

"Let the battle begin!" Brock declared.

"Turtwig, I choose you!" Ash cried, and called on his Grass-Type Turtle Pokémon.

"Okay, you're up first!" I cried, and called out my Zubat.

"Whoa, when did James catch a Zubat?" Dawn gasped as she pulled out her pink Pokédex. "_Zubat, the Bat Pokémon. To compensate for its lack of eyes, Zubat uses ultrasonic waves to detect objects in front of it. It flies about at night and in caves, and avoids sunlight at all costs, since it causes it body to become slightly burned._"

"Watch and learn, kiddies!" I said. "Zubat, use Supersonic!"

It let out an eerie cry, and Turtwig looked like it was all turned around. "What just happened?" Dawn asked.

"Supersonic is a move that confuses an opposing Pokémon," Francis explained. "A confused Pokémon may miss its target easily or even attack itself."

"Come on, Turtwig!" Ash cried. "Snap out of it and use Razor Leaf!"

Turtwig, still confused, fired multiple leaves at Zubat, but it dodged most of them, and the few that did hit it didn't seem to do much damage.

"Now is the time!" I cheered. "Zubat, use Leech Life!"

Zubat bit down on Turtwig's earthen shell and began sucking some weird greenish energy out of it. It flew off soon after, and it looked noticeably stronger while Turtwig looked noticeably weaker.

"Now what?" Dawn asked Francis again.

"Leech Life is a Bug-Type move that drains some of the target's energy," he replied. "It's proportional to the amount of damage given by the attack itself. And Bug-Type moves are super effective on Grass-Type Pokémon like Turtwig."

"Now, Zubat, use Wing Attack!" I called out, and Zubat slapped Turtwig with its wings, sending it flying backwards.

"Turtwig, are you okay?" Ash asked, and Turtwig shook its head, snapped out of its confusion. "Now use Tackle!"

Turtwig jumped up high and slammed into Zubat, knocking it down to the ground.

"Please hang in there, Zubat!" James cried, and Zubat flew back up into the air. "Now, use Leech Life!"

Zubat soared down to Turtwig and flew behind it, biting its head this time. Like before, Turtwig grew weaker while Zubat regained some of its energy.

"Now use Wing Attack!" James cried, and Turtwig was slapped backwards again, this time into the Dialga statue pedestal, and it fell over backwards, out cold.

"Turtwig is unable to battle!" Brock ruled. "The winner is Zubat!"

"Wow, what a Zubat!" Dawn said, clearly impressed.

"Turtwig, return!" Ash said, recalling his Pokémon. "That was a great battle, Turtwig. Now you get some good rest." He then looked at me as he took out his next Pokémon. "I'll admit, you're a lot tougher now, but I'm not gonna lose! Buizel, I choose you!" The Sea Weasel Pokémon popped out, eager for battle. "Let's start it off with Water Gun!" Buizel shot a high blast of water at Zubat, whose wings were now soaked and fell to the ground.

"Zubat's not skilled enough to fly with wet wings!" Francis gasped. "This could be bad for James."

"Now use Aqua Jet!" Ash cried, and Buizel shot forward in its watery dash.

"Quick, use Astonish!" I cried, but Buizel was too fast and nailed Zubat, knocking it into the air and then it crashed to the ground, fainted.

"Zubat is unable to battle!" Brock ruled. "Buizel wins!"

"One to one," Aaron noted, speaking up for the first time since hearing my story.

"Good job, Zubat," I smiled, recalling my fainted partner. "You ready, Pikachutwo?" I grinned at Pikachutwo, who nodded and jumped from my shoulder and onto the ground, on all fours, ready to battle. "Pikachutwo, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachutwo shot a huge bolt of lightning, which scored a direct hit on Buizel. "Buizel, hang in there! Spin and use Aqua Jet!"

Buizel obliged, and shot straight at Pikachutwo, who deftly dodged to the side. "You want speed? Try this! Use Quick Attack!" Pikachutwo shot forward and rammed into Buizel, sending him flying.

"You okay, Buizel?" Ash asked, and Buizel nodded, grinning. "Okay, use Sonic Boom!" Buizel shot waves of sonic wind at Pikachutwo, who couldn't dodge in time and slammed into a tree, down but not out.

"Strike back with Volt Tackle!" I cried, and Pikachutwo charged forward, cloaked in electricity, and slammed into Buizel, causing Buizel to fly up and down, and stay down for the count.

"Buizel is unable to battle!" Brock ruled. "Pikachutwo wins!"

At this, Ash gasped. I had managed to knock out two of his Pokémon in a row, and he only knocked out one. But his frown soon turned upside down as he tightened his gloves and he turned his hat backwards, which I had not seen in a good long time. "You're good James, but I'm still not gonna lose!" Pikachu got the message and jumped into the battle. "Pikachu, it's all up to you!"

TO BE CONTINUED

* * *

**A/N: As a side note, the episode titles will also be updated to match anime-like titles! Keeping it real, baby! There's one Pokemon game reference in here, if you can spot it! HINT: it involves the Day Care.  
**

**(-o-)**

**Ash: Let's go, everyone! To our next adventure!**

**NEXT TIME:**

**Ash: I'm still having trouble believeing that James is a good guy, but he seems okay for now.**

**James: Today I'll earn Ash's trust for sure! Maybe he'll even let me tag along with him!**

**Dawn: I'd better work hard for my next Contest! It's tomorrow!**

**Brock: But who are those people in the Solaceon Ruins?**

**Francis: And how in the world is James's name in a centuries-old ruin?**

**NEXT TIME ON POKEMON PLATINUM: THE PRODIGAL ROCKET: "Unown of the Solaceon Ruins! James Proves His Trust!"**

**Ash &amp; James: Everyone, get Pokemon!**


End file.
